Page 179 - Neglected Arabia (1916-1920)

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i Naval Officer of the Gulf, and other vessels of the Navy doing duty in the
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Gulf. While we were leaving the harbor of Maskat a great British war
vessel had come in and had anchored, having just arrived from the Medi­
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! terranean and having on board an Admiral of the British Navy.

On the morning of April 7th we found ourselves fast upon the bar at
the entrance of Shatt-al-Arab, the great river formed by the junction of
the Tigris and Euphrates. Passing up the river lined with miles of date i
palms and obstructed at one point by the sunken Hamburg-American steamer
“Ecbatana,” sunk by the Turks across the channel of the river in the hope
of preventing the progress of the British Expedition northward toward l
Basrah, we found ourselves at seven o’clock in the evening before Basrah.
This was indeed a busy harbor. No less than fifty vessels of various
descriptions, most of them connected with the British Military Expedition,
were anchored in the harbor. Here I was greeted by Rev. and Mrs. John
Van Ess and Dr. Mylrea, the last having arrived on the private yacht of
the Sheikh of Kuweit, which had been kindly loaned for the purpose of
taking us to Kuweit, all the regular means of connecting with this station
and Basrah having been withdrawn for transport service.

Through the kind offices of Dr. Mylrea and Mr. Van Ess and their
friendly relations with the Political and Naval Officers, Sir Percy Cox made
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provision for Dr. Mylrea and me on a Sloop of War which did duty in the i
Gulf. He endeavored to secure for use his own vessel H.M.S. “Lawrence,” i :
a side wheeler sloop of war designed to do duty in the Gulf and over the
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shallow stretches of the rivers in which the Turkish Government had not
made channels. This vessel not being at that time obtainable the Senior
Naval officer had, with great consideration, invited Dr. Mylrea and me to
travel on board another sloop of war then available, H.M.S. “Clio.”

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: H.M.S. “CLIO" LYIXG IX THE RIVER OFF BASRAH.

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